Four Seasons Hotel Opens In Beijing, More To Come

Just about a month after the reveal of its new flagship in hometown Toronto, Four Seasons added yet another new destination to its roster yesterday with the opening of Four Seasons Beijing. This marks a total of five hotels in China, complementing Shanghai, Shanghai (Pudong), Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Hong Kong.

A total of 313 rooms and 66 suites can be found in this mixed-use complex that also combines two private apartment towers. Restaurant Cai Yi Xuan serves regional Chinese cuisine, with Mio being the Italian option that seems a near-staple for Four Seasons Hotels these days. Opus lounge & bar offers all-day dining and drinks, including daily afternoon tea.

For tea in a different setting, there’s the sixth floor Tea Garden, at the base of the towering atrium that is the focal point of the hotel. Just like Shanghai and Hong Kong, Four Seasons Beijing has a Club Lounge, with the expected services and food presentations to go with the “hotel within a hotel” concept. Opening offers are available from CNY1,888 (just over US$300) a night, including breakfast for two, and complimentary standard internet access.

Four Seasons Baku introduced the Canadian luxury brand to Azerbaijan in an historic Beaux-Arts building overlooking the Caspian Sea. It looks like some of the flourish of the hotel’s architecture shines through in the bathrooms, would you have said that mirror is from a new Four Seasons hotel?

We’re waiting for an exact opening date, but were told that before the end of the year the former Bilila Lodge should transform into Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, right in the heart of one of the most famous nature reserves in Tanzania. This will be the first of three hotels in the country, with a tented camp near the Ngorongoro Crater and a beach resort on Zanzibar to follow in the future.

You never know though with hotel delays; opening dates have a tendency to be pushed back further and further. In the case of Four Seasons Lion Palace, St. Petersburg, this means that we’re now looking at the last quarter of 2013 (hopefully in time for next year’s private jet trip, when the Russian city is on the itinerary). There's plenty of rumors and speculation about Four Seasons projects further down the line too (everything from Malaysia to Brazil, Chile to Russia, and in between) so stay tuned as we find out more.